Batman: Last Knight on Earth #3: A Bat in a Storm of Bats

Snyder and Capullo, one of the most dynamic Batman teams in recent history, have seemingly completed their acclaimed run with the release of Batman: The Last Knight on Earth #3. This is an issue that echoes with legacy and serves as the perfect sendoff if it is indeed true that the creative team has finished.

The stage has been set for years now, bringing an almost prophetic confrontation between Omega and this New Batman that has arisen. As opposites, we see the forces of good and evil personified through Bats and the emergence of something entirely new form as a result: The Owls. This new symbol goes on to eventually make the final point, giving this story the ultimate resolution it truly set out to make.

That point lies within the mission of Bruce Wayne, that Batman is just a catalyst for something larger and that symbol will always remain even if it can’t be the Bat. Legacy is the foundation of the DC Universe and Snyder and Capullo manage to capture the essence of this remarkably well in just three issues. Despite everything having changed so much over the years, when we gear up for the fight against this new brainwashing signal that can’t be blocked, it becomes apparent that nothing has really changed. Gotham isn’t some lost cesspool of evil and our heroes aren’t out of the fight, with a quick rally we see the familiar elements all line up for a classic Batman win.

The overarching narrative is strong enough, but it’s the character developments and interactions that continue to drive this series even in its third issue. Joker finally having a go as Robin is some true dark humor that is difficult to pull off successfully, but this team somehow does it. From Duke to Barbara, nearly the entire Batfamily makes powerful appearances that ground the story with overwhelming amounts of heart.

Of course none of this storytelling potential really comes through without the iconic artwork from Greg Capullo and company. It’s everything you could want from their last Batman book from drama to tons of action, even some fun homages to their past stories. With such a long formatted book, it’s easy to find a panel here and there that might not hold up as well, but overall it’s a real delight to look at from start to finish.

Is this actually their final Batman story? Probably not. A team this popular certainly won’t be abandoning the character forever, but this does feel like a conclusion to their story arc set into motion years ago. These two have brought some of the most important modern Batman stories like Court of Owls, so it’s bittersweet to see this issue finally release. While it’s truly outstanding, I can’t help but hope those final pages give hope for something new on the horizon so we can start this journey over just once more.